Biography (Courtesy of the Artist�s site, 2007)

�Stunningly controlled and intensely beautiful fiddling......�_(bbc.co.uk)_Brought up in the Black Isle and now based in Glasgow, Lauren MacColl is the holder of the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2004/5 and is quickly establishing herself as �the leading light in the galaxy of young fiddle players.�
Immersed in the rich culture of the Highlands, Lauren learned fiddle through the Feisean movement of Gaelic arts in Ross-Shire, and it was at the Feis annual summer-schools that she was taught by the some of the Highland�s leading musicians; Iain MacFarlane, Allan Henderson and Alpha Munro. Now studying at the RSAMD, her repertoire reflects her northern background and shows the influence of visiting tutor, Aonghas Grant of Lochaber and her love for Gaelic and Pipe music.
In her relatively short career her playing has taken her to Montana, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Norway, Galway, Co. Mayo and across Britain, and has given her various radio and television opportunities including Radio Scotland�s Travelling Folk, Radio nan Gaidheal, MNE�s �Beolach� on BBC 2 Alba, and as part of Donald Shaw�s Harvest commission on 2004�s BBC Hogmanay Live Show. At the age of 16 she was one of the youngest semi-finalists in the BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year and gigged with all-girl band Dochas in Ireland.
Her win of the Radio 2 award will this year see her play Cambridge Festival and Towersey Festival, Baltimore Fiddle Festival, Fiddle 2005 and Nordsjofestivalen, and record a session for the Mike Harding Show. Lauren combines her studies and performance with a passion for teaching as a resident tutor for Glasgow Fiddle Workshop, RSAMD Youthworks and Feisean nan Gaidheal.
�The most beautiful playing of a slow air I have ever heard...� (Mike Harding, Radio 2)_�spellbinding.....starkly beautiful....� (Taplas Magazine)_�phenomenal fiddle playing� (Baltimore Fiddle Fair)

the boys! -

_Barry Reid
Born and brought up in the hills of Inverness-shire in the Highlands, the versatility of Barry�s guitar playing spans the spectrum from traditional through classical to jazz, blues and rock, particularly accomplished as an acoustic guitarist whether accompanying tune or song._A founding member of Scotland�s high energy funksters Croft No. Five, Barry tours and performs extensively throughout Europe and the USA. With the independent recording and release of Croft�s critically acclaimed second album, Barry has turned his hand to recording, mixing and mastering at their Planet Five Studios. He will be involved in the opening piece at Celtic Connections 2006, celebrating the life and work of the late Martyn Bennett, and also plays with Border's fiddler and vocalist, Lori Watson.
As well as performing,Barry enjoys working with Feis Rois, teaching traditional Scottish music in Schools and workshops all over Scotland.

James Ross
James Ross, from Wick, began playing music at the age_of eight, studying under respected musician and_composer, the late Addie Harper. He went on to study_at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama,_Glasgow, from which he graduated with a BA in Scottish_Music in July 2000.
He subsequently gained an MA in Traditional Irish_Music Performance in June 2001, studying piano under_Professor M�cheal � S�illeabh�in at the Irish World_Music Centre, University of Limerick.__Performing extensively throughout Britain,_Ireland, America and Canada, James is in demand as an teacher and accompanist, and as well as teaching for the RSAMD and National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music, he plays regularly with singer James Graham and fiddler Anna-Wendy Stevenson.
As part of the prestigious Celtic Connections New_Voices series James's commission 'An Cuan' written for_piano with string quartet, soprano saxophone, double_bass and percussion was performed at this year's_festival to critical acclaim. Following it's success, his long-awaited solo album will be released with Greentrax in 2006.